Are you tired of the moans and groans you hear from your child every time you so much as go near the produce section of the grocery store? Does his nose scrunch up in disgust as you toss zucchinis, tomatoes and greens into the cart? If you’re at a loss over how to make sure your child gets the nutrients he needs in his diet from vegetables, maybe it’s time to get a little creative in the kitchen. And don’t worry, “getting creative” isn’t code for slaving over a hot stove for hours on end. Here are some quick, easy and nutritious ways to incorporate veggies into your child’s breakfast without it turning into World War III: Food Edition.
Breakfast burritos
The beauty of a burrito is you can throw in just about anything and hide it with the tortilla. Of course it goes without saying that you need to make it taste good or your child might pull it open, examine its contents and call you out for trying to sneak in a tomato or four. Start with the basics of scrambled eggs and potatoes or sweet potatoes (don’t forget these are veggies), then experiment with different veggies (think bell peppers, onions and avocado) until you find a winning combination. Top with salsa, sour cream or cheese to enhance the flavor even more.
Pancakes with a twist
What child doesn’t love pancakes covered in syrup? With this familiar breakfast food on your side, you’ve already won half the battle. Now, mix it up by making pumpkin, squash or zucchini flapjacks.
Pumpkin pancakes with pumpkin maple sauce >>
Green smoothies
The best part about making a smoothie is your greens will “blend” right in. Your kid may know something’s up because the smoothie will be, well, green, but hopefully the great taste will outweigh his curiosity. Try kale, a vegetable that admittedly doesn’t taste that great on its own, but is rich with antioxidants and blend it in with plain or vanilla yogurt and fruit. The fruit will mask the kale so the taste will disappear but its benefits won’t! You can also try blending in other important leafy greens like spinach and swiss chard.
Try this Green Goddess smoothie recipe >>
Have you tried vegetables for breakfast?
More about healthy eating
Healthy juices your kids will love
The importance of breakfast, no matter how quick
How to prepare veggies so kids will love them
My daughter loves spinach. So lately, we have been serving her spinach in everything — even breakfast foods. We mix spinach into eggs for omelets, add spinach into fruit smoothies, and sometimes she even eats a “salad” of spinach and cucumbers for breakfast. I wish I could get the rest of my kids to do the same.
This reminds me of a cleanse I tried – I could NOT do the smoothies! Gag! But I love the pancakes idea!
I honestly don’t know if I could get my kids to eat a green one, but maybe I could try a smoothie with blueberries — why does feeding them have to BE SO HARD!!
We all love green smoothies. I sold them to my sons by calling them “swamp juice.” Appeal to their gross side and it may work!
I hadn’t thought of doing the pancake thing. What a great idea!
Muffins are also a great way to serve veggies at breakfast time — my daughter loves zucchini muffins. Crystal, hilarious about the cleanse!!